Which mercury is used in thermometer?
Which mercury is used in thermometer?
Elemental or metallic mercury is used in mercury thermometers and (in combination with silver and other metals) in dental amalgam. In China, dental amalgam was used to fill teeth over 1000 years ago (cited in Drexler 1998). Inorganic mercury, e.g. mercury chloride, has been used as a disinfectant.
What is the functions of a thermometer?
A thermometer is an instrument that measures temperature. It can measure the temperature of a solid such as food, a liquid such as water, or a gas such as air. The three most common units of measurement for temperature are Celsius, Fahrenheit, and kelvin.
How do you use mercury in a thermometer?
In cases where a short segment of mercury is lodged in the upper end of the bore, hold the thermometer inverted (bulb end up) during the tapping. This procedure is particularly suited for a maximum thermometer; the heavier main column of mercury above the constriction will easily slide to unite with the short segment.
What is the temperature of mercury in thermometer?
Usually, mercury and petrolate are the most common fluids in this kind of thermometer. Mercury and petrolate usually can measure temperature in a range of −40 to +900°C and −200 to +260°C, respectively [2].
Can you die from mercury thermometer?
Fortunately, elemental mercury from a thermometer is not absorbed from the stomach and will not cause any poisoning in a healthy person. Mercury is not well absorbed across the skin so skin contact is not likely to cause mercury poisoning, especially with a brief one-time exposure.
What is the main function of clinical thermometer?
A clinical thermometer is a thermometer used to measure human body temperature. Most made in the 20th century are mercury-in-glass thermometers. They are accurate and sensitive, having a narrow place where the mercury level rises very fast. A kink in the tube stops the mercury level from falling on its own.
Does mercury dry up in a thermometer?
Yes; it’s just ordinary mercury. It doesn’t dry up, it remains liquid at room temperature essentially for ever. Eventually, after a very very long time, it would evaporate.
Why the use of mercury thermometer is not safe?
The small silvery ball in a mercury thermometer can be dangerous if the glass breaks and the mercury is not cleaned up properly. The mercury will evaporate and can contaminate the surrounding air and become toxic to humans and wildlife.
How does a mercury in glass thermometer work?
A mercury-in-glass thermometer is a thermometer that provides temperature readings through the expansion and contraction of mercury inside a calibrated tube.
What’s the maximum temperature you can read from a mercury thermometer?
The boiling point of mercury is 356.7 °C, hence the maximum temperature that can be read from a mercury thermometer is 356 °C. Hazardous if the bulb is broken and mercury leaks out Alcohol Thermometers: Alcohol thermometer is a type of thermometer that uses a bulb filled with alcohol as the temperature sensor.
How are thermometers used before the discovery of temperature?
Before the discovery of the true thermodynamic temperature, the thermometer defined the temperature; thermometers made with different materials would define different temperature scales (a coloured alcohol thermometer would give a slightly different reading than a mercury thermometer at, say half-scale).
What’s the difference between a mercury and an alcohol thermometer?
Alcohol Thermometers: Alcohol thermometer uses alcohols colored with a dye. Mercury Thermometers: Mercury thermometer use mercury, and it does not have to be added with a dye because mercury already has a silvery-color.
What does mercury do in a thermometer?
In a mercury thermometer, a glass tube is filled with mercury and a standard temperature scale is marked on the tube. With changes in temperature, the mercury expands and contracts, and the temperature can be read from the scale. Mercury thermometers can be used to determine body, liquid, and vapor temperature.
Why is alcohol used in a thermometer?
Alcohol thermometer uses alcohol as the liquid to measure the temperature variations. Alcohol expands when it absorbs temperature and contract in colder temperatures. Most commonly used alcohol in these is ethanol, but different types of alcohols can be used depending on the measured temperature and environment in which the measurements are taken.
Do candy thermometers contain mercury?
A candy thermometer is a type of large, glass mercury thermometer that measures candy syrups during cooking. It does for sugar what a meat thermometer does for meats, with the only difference being that the candy thermometer can read higher levels of temperature.
Is alcohol in thermometer?
Alcohol thermometer is a type of thermometer that uses a bulb filled with alcohol as the temperature sensor. The liquid inside the bulb can be pure ethanol, toluene , kerosene or any other suitable component depending on the application.